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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — for paper
  8. plane — a tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — to rip
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com